Gabriel Jesus could be in trouble with the FA following Arsenal's 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday (December 30th). He was on the scoresheet as the Gunners ended the Villans' 11-game winning streak.
Mikel Arteta's men romped to victory with all four of their goals coming in the second half, including Jesus'. The Brazilian netted his side's fourth and his first goal since returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Gabriel Jesus celebrated his goal by taking off his shirt and revealing a message that read: "I belong to Jesus." He spoke of his faith after the match and attributed his goalscoring performance to Jesus Christ.
Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus Could Be Sanctioned
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Jesus replicated Kaka's celebration after his compatriot scored in AC Milan's win against Liverpool in the 2007 UEFA Champions League final. But he could land in hot water with the FA for violating a rule that prohibits players' equipment from carrying any religious statements or images.
FA's Law 4 states that, "Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo."
It appears the 28-year-old could be sanctioned:
"For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA."
Jesus only returned from a cruciate ligament tear earlier this month, and Arteta will be eager to have the Brazilian available heading into the second half of the season. But the likeliest outcome seems to be that the former Manchester City frontman receives a reminder from the FA.
Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo also displayed the same message back in April 2025 but wasn't sanctioned for his celebration. The FA were said to have written to the Dutchman, reminding him of the regulations.
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The FA took the same approach over Marc Guehi writing 'I Love Jesus' on a rainbow captain's armband in December 2024. This was much more controversial because the rainbow armband was part of the Premier League, symbolising support for LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Kaka Responds to Gabriel Jesus
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While the FA could sanction the Arsenal star, he has made sure his message is received loud and clear. He posted a snap of his celebration and a statement on his Instagram account, changing his profile picture to that image.
Kaka responded to Jesus in the replies section:
"We belong to Jesus God bless you bro.."
The Brazilian insisted on glorifying Jesus Christ's name when speaking to Sky Sports after Arsenal's victory against Villa. He said, "Jesus saved my life, from the beginning when I was born, but I didn’t know that."
He added:
"Through this tough moment in my life, I realised that we are nothing without Jesus, so I want to glorify his name because he made a huge difference. Now in this shining moment, I want to glorify his name."
The Gunners attacker has endured several injury issues during his career and sat out a large portion of last season. He will be hoping that such fitness troubles are behind him as his side continue to lead the title race between themselves and City.